BUFFALO, N.Y. — "Mask Up or Pack Up," that's the message SUNY officials have for their students.
SUNY launched a new campaign this week to promote COVID-19 health and safety protocols to prevent the spread of coronavirus on college campuses.
SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras is asking students to submit creative videos urging their classmates to act responsibly and vigilantly to contain the spread and keep campuses safe and open. Malatras says student video submissions should highlight the importance of wearing masks, social distancing, avoiding large gatherings and parties, and complying with testing and tracing guidance.
Once the submissions are received, SUNY will incorporate them into the statewide "Mask Up or Pack Up" campaign. Submissions should not be longer than a minute.
“‘Mask Up or Pack Up’ gives our students a platform to send powerful, persuasive messages to their classmates that encourage them to rise to the challenge and comply with proven COVID-19 safety measures,” Malatras said.
“Over a few short weeks, I’ve met with hundreds of students across more than a dozen campuses, all of whom are acting responsibly so they can stay on campus and learn. This campaign will harness their talent, creativity, and frustration with the small fraction of students who jeopardize entire college communities. We need universal compliance and uncompromising vigilance from everyone to keep campuses open—and we are proud of students who are determined to speak directly to their peers to help amplify that message.”
More than 1,400 cases of COVID-19 have been reported across SUNY's 64 colleges in the state since the fall semester began. Nearly half of those cases have been at SUNY Oneonta before the campus was forced to shut down.
SUNY requires campuses to suspend in-person classes for two weeks if 100 people at a school test positive for the virus within a 14-day period.
For more information about how to submit a video for the "Mask Up or Pack Up" campaign, click here.